Welcome to Freeluna

Freeluna.com
is dedicated to the proposition that the colonization of outer space is
critical for the long term survival of the human species, and that
colonization of the moon and the exploitation of the moon's natural
resources is one of the very best first steps in that incredible
journey off planet.

Introducing Space
Icons, a way for
freeluna.com to acquire desperately needed funds and to give people
realistic, space-related desktop icons for their computers. Space Icons
started out as a development experiment for me using Visual C++. As I
come up with more icons, I will update the Space Icons link and email
new versions of space icons to those who register the product with me
via email. Many of the pictures which are the basis for space icons are
from various places across the web, so I am not charging for space
icons directly; only soliciting donations to freeluna.com.
Check them out. Play with them. If you like them, please donate.

BACK TO LUNAR COLONIZATION

I believe that the long-term survival of humanity depends on
the colonization
of space. Without it, nations will be forced to compete with each other
on a planet with ever-diminishing resources and shrinking space. Given
the level of our technologies for mass destruction and the relative
ease of access to those technologies, this can only lead to disaster.
If our dealings with North Korea and Al Queda have taught us anything,
it is that (1) there are quite a few people
in this world that have viewpoints that are positively alien to our own
and that are positively hostile towards are way of life, and (2) that a
small group of fanatics can easily disrupt world events if they are
willing to do the unthinkable
to accomplish their goals. This forces us to conclude that the survival
of our civilization, even our species is less tenuous than we ever
imagined, and therefore the need for space colonization is the more
critical.

Many people have told me that space colonization is just
wrong. I have been told that before mankind spends any more effort
getting into space we must solve our problems at home. That our bad
habits of destroying environments and fighting
wars will carry out into space. That humanity needs to "learn it's
lessons" here on earth before it is ever allowed to contaminate the
rest of the cosmos. My response is as follows: First off, we are living
in our own cradle, and there is
only so many lessons we can learn within it. We can learn a lot more by
climbing out of our cradle and being exposed to the universe beyond. In
space, there is a opportunity to evolve physically and culturally in
ways we can't even conceive. For
instance, if you examine evolution, you will see that living thing's
shapes and behaviors tend to be shaped by their environments. The
environment of earth is a place of profound plenty in terms of the
critical elements to our survival when compared to our local region of
space. The tendency of this environment is such that lifeforms on this
planet get to be successful by maximally exploiting the resources of
this environment and crowding out other species. If we were to die out
and rats were to take our place at the top of the evolutionary ladder,
they would behave in exactly the same way humans have done -- by
dominating all other species and covering the earth with rats. Just as
the dinosaurs did before us.

The environment of space is completely different. Any planet
within reach of our
technology is profoundly barren in the stuff life needs to survive in
comparison to the earth. There are no open lakes of water for us to
drink or air to breath on Mars or the moon. Nor is there much Nitrogen
for plants to turn into our protein. In order for humans to just
survive, our thinking will have to change in profound ways. In space,
we will have to take our environments with us. As we grow, we will need
to scavange what meager resources exist to support life wherever we go.
We will need to cherish the few resources we have. Recycling will be an
imperative for our survival, not just a good idea. We will need to keep
our environments healthy by carefully maintaining our own ecosystems.
Instead of simply competing with other species, we will need to learn
how to cooperate with them. This is what space has to offer humans.
Alien environments to profoundly alter human thinking.

There is quite a bit of information on lunar colonization and
space colonization in general available on the web. If you
are just beginning to check out space colonization,
make sure you at least visit the links
page,
which covers many sites that will be helpful in getting you
started.
Meanwhile, here is a list of articles and sections currently
available on this site:

This was my first piece I wrote about lunar
colonization. It covers why the moon is a good first step in
space colonization, the technologies involved in making a lunar colony
successful, and some preliminary steps in making a lunar colony come to
pass.

Space notes is a follow up to Welcome to
Moonhab. It covers various ideas on what needs to happen to
make space colonization a reality and some novel ideas on making space
colonization more fun and interesting.

Freeluna.com is proud to present
"Jerry Bull and the Space Rodent Rangers". This piece is
intended for a younger audience, but contains nearly all of the
information that can be found in "Welcome to Moonhab" and "Space
Notes".

Given the current level of space transportation
technology, no space colony will be economically feasible unless the
colonists utilize in-situ resources for essentially all of their basic
survival needs. Imports from earth will be prohibitively
expensive, costing in the range of tens of thousands to hundreds of
thousands of dollars per kilogram in transporation costs
alone. Consequently, to the space colonists, gold and water
-- if imported from earth -- will not be so dissimilarly
priced. The trick then is to quickly find ways to live off
the land, however formidable and alien that land might be.
Any colony that fails to succeed at this goal will just not survive.

Therefore, the focus of my research is to find ways the
bountiful resources of the moon that do exist can be utilized for a
colony's survival. The particular 'bountiful resources' I
have in mind are the finely powdered basalt that makes up a large
fraction of the lunar regolith, the uninterrupted sunlight that pours
down on the moon for 14 days at a time, and the hard vacuum of
space. For now, I am only working with lunar soil simulant
(MLS-1a), a large fresnel lense, and sunlight, but I'm also working on
acquiring a vacuum chamber.

This piece covers why the economics of space flight are
still prohibitive to the common man. Economies of scale and
increased demand will bring down the cost of space travel, but "space"
companies must find a way to engage the economic machinery to drive
them to success. In this article I discuss a less direct path to get to
space, but perhaps a more economically viable approach to achieving the
final goal.

This is the links page that was mentioned
earlier. If you're just starting to look into space
colonization, make sure you browse these links.

Yep. Just thought I'ld ask for support. Keeping this
website going and pursuing lunar research costs me dough that I gladly
spend, although my bank has other ideas about what I should be doing
with my money, like paying bills. If you find the information herein
useful. Please feel free to donate to Freeluna and THANKS!!
ahead of time.